Words by Justin Turford
It seems like a weekly occurrence that another new release appears either featuring Tony Allen on drums or another Fela Kuti-inspired record, the Nigerian afrobeat pioneers and revolutionary shit-stirrers influence a consistent presence and inspiration for musicians from São Paulo to Melbourne. What seems to have been forgotten by many is that the great Cameroonian master Manu Dibango was probably the most successful, influential and certainly, the most globally famous of the African musical giants who exploded into the wider consciousness in the 1970s. With a revolutionising career that spanned six decades, Dibango transformed the perspective of the western gatekeepers of the music industry towards African music, the level of innovation, sophistication and a further sonic Africanisation that he brought to the game having a profound impact on funk, jazz and disco, helping shape these genres as they entered the electronic age and still releasing albums into the 2010s. His 1972 global smash ‘Soul Makossa’ was famously pilfered by Michael Jackson on ‘Wanna Be Startin Somethin’, his "Ma ma-se, ma ma-sa, ma ma-kossa" hook belatedly (allegedly) earning him a million French francs.
We could talk about Dibango’s career for days. He tore the roof off at ‘Zaire, 74’, the incredible festival of Black and Latin musical icons that took place as part of the Ali vs Foreman ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ circus, he was an original member of the legendary Congolese rumba group African Jazz, and he’s worked with everyone from Herbie Hancock and Fela to Sly & Robbie and the Fania All Stars. Setting aside these headlines, what needs to be impressed is that in his pomp, the ‘Lion of Cameroon’ was one of the most exciting live performers imaginable.
One year before Jackson’s insanely successful ‘Thriller’ album came out, Dibango was on a sold-out tour of France, a country that was finally shaking off its Gaullist imperial fantasies, the left-leaning new President, Francois Mitterrand, heralding a more progressive, open-minded France. It was in this political environment that Dibango and the jazz wanderer Don Cherry hit the road together on a tour that electrified the nation. And it is on this tour that this never before released recording is from. Recorded live on December 22, 1982, at the Théâtre La Criée in Marseille, what we are listening to is a masterclass of Cameroonian, Congolese and jazz-funk-fusion, beautifully captured (and remastered from the original tapes) and an essential reminder of Dibango’s extraordinary energy.
Accompanied by Dibangoo’s rich baritone voice and some hard-hitting audience clapping, the recording kicks off with a traditional Cameroonian song ‘Migilbawe’ . Sung a capella by Florence ‘Titty’ Dimbeng and Sissy Dipokothe, it is a brief but vital moment of minimalist village communion before the full-throated ‘African Boogie’ takes off, the song’s initial structural resemblance to Fela and Tony’s afrobeat sound disassembling as the crack eight-piece band swerves and dives into all kinds of African jazz-fusion corners. Hary Gofin’s bass playing is outrageously funky, slapping and scorching the hell out of his strings, the drums and percussion equally frenetic and exhilarating as the eleven minute number hurtles away. With a decade alongside Dibango by this time, Congolese guitarist Jerry ‘Bokilo’ Malekani knew exactly how free he was under the great man’s conductorship, offering tightly clipped rhythm grooves one minute, releasing a killer solo as the song hits its Latin-infused breakdown at the midway point. The boss himself plays it sparse with micro-licks and prods of vocal encouragement before taking his own solo saxophone spot towards the end.
A bottle pattern is tapped away at speed as Dibango takes the role of storyteller on ‘Ashiko Oumba’, trading lines and phrases with the female singers as a slick circular guitar riff joins the slowly building groove. Taking its sweet time to open up, the band teases and dances with the audience, Dibango’s saxophone riffing and vocal prompting the ringmaster on this fine blend of Congolese and Cameroonian funk.
The second half of this brilliant live performance is made up of three parts of ‘Waka Juju’, the title track of his 1982 album of the same name. Inspired by the Yoruba genre jùjú of which King Sunny Adé is probably its best known international ambassador, Dibango adds his own fusion flavour to the genre, with less of the slide guitar and more of the jazz colouring, breaking down spectacularly into an amazing extended drum and percussion workout before returning with a finale that throws in wobbly synthesizers, smooth keys, some immense bass playing and Dibango’s sax at its most expressive. The closing couple of minutes is a perfect distillation of Dibango’s generous talents, sounding proudly African but with the outstretched arms of an artist who welcomed the wider world into his music, which in turn, is still an inspiration across the planet.
More than just a collectors item, this previously unreleased recording is an essential purchase if you are a lover of great African music. 10/10.
BUY HERE! https://wewantsounds.bandcamp.com/album/dibango-82